1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a device for connecting bus bars of a bus bar system with connectors of a piece of electric installation equipment using connecting pieces which are cut, angled and/or bent from a rectangular flat material.
2. Description of Related Art
In connection with known devices of this type, the connecting pieces are produced from flat materials which have cross sections of different sizes, depending on the current strength to be transmitted. This requires the availability of a plurality of different bar elements for a current range to be covered. The bar pieces can be embodied as flat bar sections, as Z-shaped angle cleats or as connecting elbows in order to be able to provide a connection between the connecting planes of the bus bars and the connectors of the piece of electric installation equipment by lining up different bar pieces, or by bending or beveling flat bar elements.
It is one object of this invention to provide a device of the type mentioned above but depending on the size of the current strength to be transmitted, the connecting pieces comprise several identical bar pieces which, for being interlockingly lined up with each other, are securely held in the connecting piece at a preselected distance defined by a thickness of the flat material used.
In accordance with this invention this object is achieved with connecting pieces that are respectively formed by several identical bar elements which are held, vertically with respect to their width, at a distance from each other, which corresponds to a thickness of the flat material. The bar elements are kept apart by means of a packaging holder, which has alternating spacers and holding plates perpendicular with respect to the broad side of the bar elements. The holding plates delimit receivers for the bar elements on both sides of the packaging holders.
It is possible with this embodiment of the device to transmit current of different strengths via the connecting piece, depending on the number of the bar elements used per connecting pieces. Thus the same bar elements can always be used for the current strength areas in the connecting piece where only their number changes. It is possible to directly line up bar elements of the same or different design, which are held at a distance in this way, so that they are interlocked with each other.
An additional fastening of the connecting pieces, for example in a switchgear cabinet, is possible because the packaging holders are fastened on a C-profiled fastening rail with fastening screws passed through bores of the spacers and through the holding plates and with sliding nuts pushed into the C-profiled fastening rail. A spacer of the packaging holder can be pushed into a C-profiled fastening rail or can be inserted in an insertion position and fastened by being rotated, wherein the packaging holders can be fastened by a fastening screw pushed through bores in the spacers and the holding plates so they cannot be displaced in the C-profiled fastening rail. Here, the C-profiled fastening rails can be fastened on the rack of the switchgear cabinet or on mounting rails, which are connected with the rack of the switchgear cabinet. As already mentioned, the bar elements can be laid out in different designs. Thus, flat bar sections, L-shaped angled connecting pieces and Z-shaped angle cleats can be used.
The lining-up of connecting pieces with several bar elements is simplified because the bar elements have fastening bores at least in the end areas.
In connection with the design of the packaging holders, the packaging holders are assembled from individual spacers and individual holding plates. The holding plates can be combined into a one-piece packaging holder.
The packaging holders are designed so that they have a number of holding plates and receptacles for bar elements which corresponds to the number of bar elements in the connecting piece.
In accordance with a further embodiment, the connection of the packaging holders with the C-profiled fastening rail can also be provided so that the bar elements are designed as angle cleats or connecting elbows, and at least one leg is held at the prescribed distance by packaging holders.